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Finger Lakes Wine Festival Seminars Focus on Dry Wines

Local winemakers and winemaking staff lead seminars on dry reds and dry Rieslings

WATKINS GLEN, NY – The Finger Lakes Wine Festival presented by Yancey’s Fancy New York’s Artisan Cheese (July 12-14) has a new feature for 2013 - Wine Seminars, developed and led by local winemakers. Marti Macinski, winemaker and owner of Standing Stone Vineyards, organized the seminars to aid festival attendees find the dry wines that many are looking for.

“The Finger Lakes region is known for its Riesling and sweeter varietals, but we also boast some amazing dry, vinifera wines as well,” explains Macinski. “At our winery we have numerous customers ask about our dry wine selections and we’re looking forward to showcasing some of the region’s best during these seminars.”

The seminars, free to Festival-goers, will take place Saturday, July 13, and Sunday, July 14, at 11:30 and 1:30 both days, and will last one hour. Attendees will learn about the history of the grape growing and wine making directly from the winemakers, while sampling the featured wines.

The morning seminars, titled "Dry Red Vinifera Wines of the Finger Lakes: Past, Present and Future," will feature six different dry red wines each day. Red wine varietals will include Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Meritage, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Saperavi, Lemberger, and Dornfelder. Winemakers will discuss the learning curve working with these varietals, and attendees will get to taste how far the region has come.

Similarly, the afternoon seminars, “Food Friendly Dry Rieslings – the Perfect Summer Picnic Wine,” will feature six different dry Rieslings each day. In this seminar, each Riesling will be paired with different flavored Cheez-It™ cracker, donated by WGI sponsor, Cheez-It™. "With the many different flavors of Cheez-It™ crackers, we will have a lot of fun pairing them with the wines. These pairings will show how dry and off-dry Rieslings are very sophisticated, while also being very user-friendly," Macinski, points out.

The hour-long seminars will take place in the Watkins Glen International Media Center and space is limited on a first come, first serve basis.

Located in the Finger Lake Region of New York, Watkins Glen International is the premier road racing facility in the United States. Tickets for the Finger Lakes Wine Festival presented by Yancey’s Fancy are available now by calling 866.461.7223. Gift certificates, licensed merchandise, Thunder Road Tours and tickets are available for purchase at The Shop, located in downtown Watkins Glen at 2 North Franklin Street and online at www.TheGlen.com. The Shop is open Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

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